The battle between good and evil is about to go prime time. NBC has recruited ”The Omen” writer David Seltzer to create a six- to eight-hour series about the struggle between God and Satan described in the Bible’s Book of Revelations. The network hopes to air the series following that other combat-heavy favorite, the 2004 Summer Olympics.

The series, which will air in hour-long installments, will feature a physicist and a nun who race against the clock to stop the coming apocalypse. Reportedly an Antichrist character may pop up to meddle in their efforts to save the world.

According to Seltzer, a show about the end times isn’t such a reach. ”What the Book of Revelation predicted is at hand,” he told Variety. ”Nuclear brinkmanship, worldwide terrorism, collapsing economies and environmental atrocities make it clear that the critical mass of injury to this planet is sufficient to bring down the wrath of God and put the biblical prophecies into play.”

Even if network execs at NBC aren’t worried about the wrath of God, they’re likely praying that this series will tap into the current appetite for religious entertainment. CBS’ ”Joan of Arcadia” and ”7th Heaven” are strong performers, and the Rapture-themed ”Left Behind” books by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide.

But no matter how it performs, the series isn’t likely to mean the end of the world: The last episode will reportedly leave the door open for a weekly series.